L’Antidote: Live at Kings Place

One of my highlights for the EFG London Jazz Festival 2025 was always going to be seeing the three virtuosos that make up L’Antidote, playing together in the UK for the first time.

Smiles on the faces of L’Antidote after an extraordinary gig

I reviewed their self-titled album and you can hear my conversation with Bijan and Rami on Harmonious World.

These three musicians are extraordinary individually and perfection together in an ensemble.

Redi Hasa originally blew my mind when I saw him and his cello in a phenomenal string section with Ludovico Einaudi at the Royal Albert Hall and it was a delight to discover that he had this new album about to appear a few weeks later.

Redi and Bijan in action

Bijan Chemirani is a percussionist who has to be seen to be believed. Sitting behind a vast array of drums, stringed instruments and electronics, his dexterity and prowess is incredible.

Rami

Rami Khalifé plays every inch of the piano, sometimes focused on the heights of the keyboard, in other solos spanning all 88 keys. He even makes extensive use of the strings themselves, plucking them like a guitar or violin.

Seeing these three together at King’s Place proved to me that L’Antidote really brings a healing power and inspiration: the entire audience was united in responding to the various tunes and improvisations.

What is incredible is that this is a relatively fresh ensemble. The recording of the album that launched them into my orbit was actually their first real encounter together, in a studio in Puglia, near Lecce: another example of the creativity which has abounded in the post-pandemic jazz landscape. From the musical output, they each appear to have brought musical ideas and improvisation genius.

Their global spread both in individual influence and physical location seems to make their musical output the more extraordinary. Whether it is Redi’s use of the cello like a guitar in Pomegranate or Rami’s delicate touch and control of dynamic and range in the solo Wind, every inch of each instrument is explored. The percussion solo on Vito’s Solo showed a little more of Bijan’s prowess behind the textures and instruments of which he is master.

There was no way the audience was going to allow L‘Antidote to leave without an encore and the fun Punk Improv was a stunning finale that left everyone with more questions about where and when they can experience this trio live again.